Inmates told ministry they were stripped naked and put into solitary confinement: documents

A pair of Ottawa inmates complained of being stripped naked and spending 24 hours without any clothes in the jail’s segregation cells, new access to information documents show.

The inmates’ allegations were contained in the answers to surveys that were taken by the provincially-appointed task force that made recommendations on how to reduce overcrowding at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre earlier this year.

The Citizen made a Freedom of Information request for the inmate responses provided to the task force, but the ministry of community safety and correctional services said they had already destroyed the originals. The ministry did not explain why it destroyed the originals. The ministry instead released a summary of the answers that inmates provided that was prepared by ministry staff.

About 86 per cent of the inmates who answered the survey — or 114 of 132 inmates — said they had spent time in segregation. A little more than a quarter of them said they requested to be placed in segregation.

In response to a question asking about what their experience in segregation was like, the ministry summary states two inmates commented that they were “stripped and left naked for 24 hours.”

The ministry wouldn’t say whether the inmates allegations were true, only that “it is not the ministry’s practice to place inmates into custody in any setting without clothes.”

However, the ministry had previously denied reports of inmates being placed in segregation shower cells, only to later admit it was true. Citizen reports about the practice were what led to the appointment of the task force and prompted the corrections minister to permanently ban the use of shower cells. The jail’s superintendent was replaced days later, after the Citizen reported the shower cells were still being used despite the minister’s directive.

The summary of the survey responses released to the Citizen didn’t contain any details about the name of the inmates or when it allegedly occurred. It’s not known if that information was contained in the original survey responses, or the reason why they may have been placed into the cells naked.

“In cases where inmates may be at risk of self-harm, specialized clothing is provided to replace the standard issued clothing,” the ministry said in an emailed response to questions about the two inmates’ allegations.

Seven inmates said they felt like their time in segregation was inhumane or they were “treated like an animal.” Eleven described it as “disgusting/gross/dirty.”

Nine inmates said they were “miserable” in segregation, while one female offender said it left her feeling suicidal.

Others complained they were denied privileges or access to an outdoor yard. A few said they were denied a blanket or mattress until the evening and one complained he had to shower in handcuffs.

But the single biggest complaint was there was not enough access to phone calls.

And only 12 of the 114 inmates who spent time in segregation described it as “fair and pleasant.”

Staffing was identified as the main reason why inmates felt they didn’t get what they needed while in segregation, or was identified as the main reason why segregation was requested.

Staff attitudes, short-staffing or staff not doing their jobs were identified on 20 of the surveys, which were distributed by members of the jail’s independent Community Advisory Board and the Elizabeth Fry Society. Some inmates answered their surveys by talking to volunteers through the hatches of their segregation cells. The 132 inmates who responded to the survey represent more than a quarter of the jail’s capacity of 505 inmates.

One male and three female inmates said they went into segregation on suicide watch. Twenty-five inmates said they were placed there after some sort of misconduct, while one said it was to avoid a transfer to another jail.

Of the 31 inmates who requested segregation, the desire for “personal space and privacy” was cited by 17 of them as the reason for the request. Nine said it was for safety reasons.

The survey also asked inmates ways they felt segregation could be improved.

While some inmates recommended adding a window, painting the cells in lighter colours, allowing television or music or improving air flow, the number one answer was daily access to phone calls and showers, with 22 responses.

Access to reading materials was cited by a dozen inmates while four asked for more programming. Six inmates recommended limits on its length of use.

The ministry has already capped the use of disciplinary segregation at 15 consecutive days and ended the practice of denying inmates their privileges while in segregation, a response to increasing criticism of the use of segregation by the likes on the Ontario Human Rights Commission and Ontario’s ombudsman, Paul Dubé. Both have called for a permanent end to the use of segregation.

However, the province’s 15 day cap doesn’t apply to what is known as administrative segregation, which is used to segregate the largest number of inmates. It also doesn’t prevent the ministry from placing an inmate in segregation for 15 days, removing them for a day, and then putting them back in segregation.

Earlier this week, the ministry appointed federal correctional investigator Howard Sapers as an independent reviewer to examine the province’s segregation policies. Sapers is expected to issue an interim report on the use of segregation within 60 days of assuming his post on Jan. 1, 2017. A full report is expected in the spring of 2017.

Other survey questions focused on health care and safety concerns.

When asked if they got the health services they needed, 82 of 117 inmates said they hadn’t. Of the 35 who said they did receive health care, 10 said it was after extended waits.

And the top safety concern wasn’t as a result of violence from other inmates, but cleanliness of the jail. 63 inmates said cleanliness was their biggest concern, while 43 cited a fear of getting a disease or infection as a worry.

While the ministry hasn’t acted directly in response to the survey answers, it said it has acted on 11 of 42 recommendations made by the task force for improving the jail.

The recommendations that were acted on included a health care review that provided recommendations on ways to improve medical care. A full inspection of the jail was also conducted, as well as a feasibility study for step-down and mental health units to better support inmates with mental health needs.

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